Trump casts doubt on accusations against Graham Platner in strange rant
Source: Raw Story · Bias: Far Left
Summary
President Donald Trump seemed to cast doubt on Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's sexual assault accuser when asked by the press on his way back to Joint Base Andrews from the NATO summit in Turkey."Do you think the Democrats should be able to pick a replacement for Graham Platner? He's had all these new allegations that have come out now. Democrats are talking about picking a replacement for him," said a reporter. "Should they be able to do that?""They're picking what?" asked Trump, and the reporter repeated the question."Well, so he won the primary, right? It's very hard to do," said Trump. "It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It's, uh, he's in a bind. He's in a bind. But should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he's going to lose. I would imagine he's going to lose."Platner's accuser, Jenny Racicot, came forward with a detailed story and some corroborating evidence, including text messages dating back to the time of the event. Platner is widely believed by political observers to be preparing to exit the race within days, or even hours, opening the door for Maine Democrats to choose a replacement."It's very interesting," Trump added. "When a Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her. When this woman came out, everybody believed her." (The woman to whom Trump is referring, Lyndsey Fifield, never accused Platner of sexual assault, but did say he was physically aggressive at times.)This is not the first time Trump, who has himself been accused of sexual assault by a number of women, has publicly doubted accusations against public figures, even when they are Democrats or his direct political rivals. He was famously slow to believe the allegation of sexual assault against former President Joe Biden by Tara Reade, which ultimately had little impact on the 2020 race.
Related Coverage
- U.S. announces new strikes on Iran as Trump declares the ceasefire over (Center — Politics - CBSNews.com)
- Platner says he will suspend his Senate campaign in Maine (Center Left — NBC News Politics)
- Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign (Center Left — Politics)
- Graham Platner drops out of Maine Senate race after sexual assault accusation (Center Left — NBC News Politics)
- Campaign Strategist: Platner's Political Career Is 'Done' (Center — Bloomberg Politics)
- Platner Suspends Senate Bid After Sexual Assault Allegation (Center — Bloomberg Politics)
- Maine brewery owner throws hat in ring to replace Platner (Center — The Hill News)
- Trump Admin Launches Probe Into H-1B Visa Fraudsters Stealing Jobs From Americans (Far Right — The Federalist)
Daily Analysis
Read the full Parallax Pulse for July 8, 2026 — an AI-powered analysis of how Left and Right media covered the biggest stories this day.
More Headlines From July 8, 2026
- ‘Stupid and lazy’ people won’t get ahead: Bill O’Reilly (Center)
- Breaking down the Graham Platner allegations, pressure from Democrats (Center)
- Congressional staffers call on leaders to overhaul sexual misconduct rules (Center)
- President Trump Announces the End of Sanctions on Turkey (Far Right)
- Iran targets military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait after wave of US strikes (Right)






